clothing in lab

I'm at a very "dress casual" research facility so we don't really have
this "what is appropriate" problem. *BUT* if I had tissue samples that
were going through diagnostic histology/EM I'd be more concerned that the
work was done in a professional manner than that everyone was dressed
in what some of you seem to consider "professional" clothes. Yes, lab
coats should be worn, but what is the problem with jeans? No shorts, but
skirts are OK? The techs in clinical labs with which I've worked have all
worn scrubs and lab coats - you don't get stains on your good
(professional?) clothes and you aren't expected to dress like Joan Collins
on a tech salary!
As for the person who said something along the lines of "techs should be
dressed professionally, not like manual laborers"....Ouch. Is the
implication that manual laborers are not professional? Or did the crew
that built your house/hospital/car/etc. wear three-piece suits?
Sorry about the venting - bad morning and this one really rubbed me the
wrong way. Maybe those of us in plain old research fear that this clothing
mindset will reach us.....hence the defensiveness.
My $0.02 (US $, that is)
Tamara Howard
CSHL